SNP in debt after outspending Labour

THE SNP spent in excess of £1 million more on campaigning than Labour last year, it was revealed yesterday.

Details of the parties' accounts for 2007, published by the Electoral Commission, showed that the SNP spent 1,676,223 on campaigns last year. That compares with the 638,014 Labour in Scotland spent on its campaign.

The SNP accounts showed the party's income last year was 2,562,970. But it spent more than that, with expenditure amounting to 2,803,560 – leaving the Nationalists with a deficit of 240,590.

The Labour Party across the UK cut its debt by more than 6 million to 18.9 million last year. Labour made a 7.51 million operating surplus last year against an 814,000 deficit in 2006.

Jack Dromey, Labour's treasurer, said the party had shown "a new discipline of approach" and a determination to "live within its means".

The Conservative Party reduced the amount it owed from 9 million to 7.75 million, while the Lib Dems ended the year 1.3 million in the black.

The Tories recorded a 1.57 million surplus, down from 4.2 million. The Lib Dems recorded an operating deficit of 366,677, compared with a surplus of 1.18 million in 2006.

The commission's chief executive, Peter Wardle, said inconsistency between the parties' presentation of their accounts made comparisons difficult.

He said: "The commission is consulting on prescribing regulations that will set out how accounts must be presented with more consistency and transparency."

The accounts for the SNP also showed the party's membership in 2007 was 13,944 – an increase of almost 50 per cent from 2003, when it was 9,450.